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§ 344.8. Inspections.

(a) Initial Division Inspection of New Permanent Amusement Rides. A Division QSI shall conduct an operational inspection of each new permanent amusement ride before the ride is placed in operation and opened to the public to evaluate the safety of the ride.

(1) The owner or operator of the ride shall notify the Division, in writing, at least 30 days prior to opening the ride to the public.

(2) The notification shall state the location of the ride, the date the owner or operator intends to commence public operation, and the earliest date the ride will be ready for inspection by the Division.

(3) If the Division receives notification in compliance with section 344.8(a)(1), the Division shall initiate the inspection before the date indicated by the operator for commencement of public operation of the ride, and shall make a reasonable effort to complete the inspection prior to that date. If the Division is unable to complete the inspection within 30 days of receiving notification by the owner or operator, and the lack of completion of the inspection is not attributable to the action or inaction of the owner or operator, the ride may by opened to the public until the inspection is completed, unless there is a substantial reason to question the safety of the ride.

(4) The ride owner or operator shall ensure that a representative is present to operate the ride and perform the tests requested by the Division QSI as necessary to complete the operational inspection.

(5) In conjunction with the inspection, the owner or operator of the ride shall make available to the Division each of the following:

(A) A written certification from a licensed engineer that the ride meets the all applicable design requirements set forth in Subchapter 6.2 of Chapter 4 of Division 1 (starting at section 3195.1) of this Title.

Note : This requirement shall not take effect unless and until Subchapter 6.2 has been adopted and takes effect.

(B) An as-built document.

(C) A copy of the certificate of occupancy issued by the local building authority, if the local building authority has such a requirement.

(b) Division Inspection of Major Modifications. After any major modification has been made to a permanent amusement ride, a Division QSI shall conduct an operational inspection of the ride before the ride is reopened to the public.

(1) The owner or operator of the ride shall provide the Division with at least 30 days advance written notice of the anticipated date of reopening the ride to the public following the major modification.

(2) The advance written notice shall state the date the owner or operator intends to resume public operation, and the earliest date the ride will be ready for Division inspection.

(3) If the Division receives notification in compliance with section 344.8(b)(1), the Division shall initiate the inspection before the date indicated by the operator for reopening of the ride to the public, and shall make a reasonable effort to complete the inspection prior to that date. If the Division is unable to complete the inspection within 30 days of receiving notification by the owner or operator, and the lack of completion of the inspection is not attributable to the action or inaction of the owner or operator, the ride may by opened to the public until the inspection is completed, unless there is a substantial reason to question the safety of the ride.

(4) In conjunction with the Division's major modification inspection, the owner or operator of a permanent amusement ride shall make available to the Division each of the following:

(A) A written certification from a licensed engineer that the ride as modified meets all applicable design requirements set forth in Subchapter 6.2 of Chapter 4 of Division 1 (starting at section 3195.1) of this Title.

Note : This requirement shall not take effect unless and until Subchapter 6.2 has been adopted and takes effect.

(B) An as-built document.

(C) A copy of the certificate of occupancy issued by the local building authority, if the local building authority has such a requirement.

(c) Annual QSI Inspection. An annual QSI inspection shall be conducted of each permanent amusement ride at least once each year by either a QSI selected by the owner/operator or by a Division QSI, at the election of the owner or operator.

(1) If the owner or operator elects to have a Division QSI conduct the Annual QSI Inspection, the owner or operator shall submit a written request that the Division conduct the inspection. The request shall be submitted to the Division no later than 60 days prior to the date the Certificate of Compliance becomes due.

(2) Whenever an owner or operator elects to have a Division QSI conduct an annual inspection, the date of completion of the Division's inspection shall become the anniversary date by which the owner or operator's Certificate of Compliance becomes due the following year if a request for a Division-conducted QSI inspection is not made pursuant to subsection (c)(1).

(3) The annual QSI inspection shall include both a structural inspection and an operational inspection.

(4) A permanent amusement ride found on inspection to be unsafe shall be closed to the public and shall not be reopened to the public until all necessary repairs and modifications have been completed and certified as completed by a QSI.

(d) Annual Division Records Audit and Inspection.

(1) Starting on December 4, 2002, a Division QSI shall annually audit the records pertaining to each permanent amusement ride, including, but not limited to, records of accidents, records of employee training, and records of maintenance, repair, and inspection of the ride.

(2) A Division QSI shall conduct an operational inspection in conjunction with the annual records audit. The operational inspection shall be conducted in two phases, as follows:

(A) One phase shall consist of an unannounced inspection conducted during business hours to observe the normal operation of the ride with passengers.

(B) The other phase, consisting of all other aspects of the operational inspection, shall be pre-announced and conducted without passengers present.

(e) Exception to subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d): The following provisions shall apply to each permanent amusement ride that is located within a county or other political subdivision of the State that, as of April 1, 1998, has adopted the provisions of Chapter 66 (commencing with section 6601.1) of the 1994 Uniform Building Code providing for the routine inspection of permanent amusement rides by counties and other political subdivisions of the State, provided that the Division determines that these inspections meet or exceed the inspection standards set forth in this Article:

(1) The ride shall not be subject to the inspection or records audit requirements of subsections (a), (b), or (d), to the extent that the county or other political subdivision provides inspections according to the same criteria as those specified in each of these subsections.

(2) The ride shall be subject to the requirements of subsection (c). However, the employer may elect to have the county or other political subdivision conduct the Annual QSI Inspection on the same basis that it may elect to have the Division conduct the Annual QSI Inspection, provided that the county or other political subdivision provides inspections according to the same criteria as those specified in subsection (c) and the owner or operator complies with all applicable deadlines for making written requests.

(f) Discretionary Division Inspections. A Division QSI may conduct an inspection to determine the safety of a permanent amusement ride, in a manner consistent with any reasonable safety concern raised by the information available to the Division, whenever the Division:

(1) Receives notification, or otherwise learns, of an accident involving the permanent amusement ride required to be reported pursuant to section 344.15;

(2) Determines that a fraudulent Certificate of Compliance for the permanent amusement ride was submitted;

(3) Determines, based on factors such as ride cycles or number of riders, that a permanent amusement ride has a disproportionately-high incidence of accidents when compared to other rides of similar type and design in the State of California; or

(4) Receives a complaint or otherwise becomes aware of information, when the complaint or information reasonably appears to be reliable and credible, that one of the safety-related systems or structural components of a ride is unsafe, or that a particular practice associated with a ride is unsafe.

(g) The Division shall cause the least possible disruption to the normal operation of a permanent amusement ride consistent with the effective completion of an inspection.